By the Lake
by washed away again
Summary: Scenes of different pairs of lovers by the lake during their time at Hogwarts. Pairings include: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Lily/James, Sirius/Lupin, by chapter
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters

"If there was a way…you would stay with me, right?" Ginny asked, holding Harry's hand lightly, afraid to exert any pressure, not just pressure with her hand, but pressure with her question. It felt like a small miracle just to be sitting with him, touching him. They sat on the grass in front of the lake on the far side, an area that few students went. Basic hook-ups stayed much closer to the castle; after all, you had to walk a fair bit with your partner to get to the spot, which would leave time for conversations better left avoided. Conversations like this one, Harry thought mercilessly.

"Of course I would Ginny, we've been over this a hundred times," he irritably turned away, taking his hand away with him.

"This has to be it then. You know that, don't you? You know that I cannot promise to wait for you. That I will have to live my life as if these weeks never existed?"

"You don't have to do that, Ginny. I'm not going away forever!"

"But you might die, right? All this, 'neither can live while the other survives business', I'm not stupid Harry. I've seen the looks Ron and Hermione give you, like you're a marked man, and the looks they give each other, like soon they could be all each other has in the world."

Harry looked down at his lap and began to pull out little strands of grass and toss them aside.

"Stop tearing up the grass and answer my question Harry," Ginny ordered, for a moment sounding so much like Mrs. Weasley he had to look up and smile. But at the sight of her tearful face his smile froze and he patted her shoulder awkwardly. He hadn't seen Ginny cry for herself before, or cry because of him.

"I am going to make you a promise, Ginny," Harry said solemnly, turning to face her and taking both of her hands in his. "I promise that today will not be the last day. I promise that I will hold your hands in mine just like this a year from now and I will ask you to marry me."

Ginny slowly broke into a grin and leapt into his lap and began covering his face with kisses.

"You know I'm not dying yet Ginny!" He laughed and pushed her away a little bit.

"This I will wait for," she gasped, out of breath with excitement. She ran a finger over his scar and he shivered involuntarily.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly.

"No," Harry breathed, "That felt…" and he began to breathe more heavily as she wrapped her legs around his back and she tilted her hips backward and forward.

"Ginny," he whined, "You know we can't…"

"Why can't we?" She demanded, seductively running her fingers over his chest and down his sides.

"We shouldn't…that is to say…"

"What is the problem Harry?" She stopped in her ministrations and sat back to look at his face.

"I don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing," he admitted, going red.

Ginny shrugged and tossed her long red hair over her shoulder, "That is easily remedied. You've been my teacher before, I can be yours now."

"I like the sound of that," Harry agreed. And Ginny's lips were on his again, slow and sensuous and teasing. She pushed on his shoulders until he fell onto his back and she fell onto him.

"Are you nervous now?" She asked, running a hand up his thigh and then hovering over his package.

"Should I be?"

She shook her head, her tongue flirtatiously between her teeth. And then it was happening. She unzipped the fly of his pants and pulled them off. She unbuttoned her blouse and unhooked her bra (knowing there was no possible way he'd be able to get it off). She leaned down over him again. He was staring at her breasts, speechless.

"You can touch them you know," she joked. He blushed and immediately cupped his hand around one.

She smiled and leaned over him again.


	2. Chapter 2: RemusSirius

"So this is it, huh?" Sirius offered, stretching out on his back in the bright sunlight by the lake. He didn't look at the blinding light on the lake, but looked up at his friend sitting beside him instead. Remus looked despondent, and more so than usual.

"Hey, it'll be all right," Sirius clapped a hand on Remus' shoulder and shook him a bit, "We'll all still see each other, mate. It'll be great, you'll see."

Remus shook his head, "You've never seen me clearly and you aren't seeing me clearly now."

Sirius laughed, and settled back down on the ground comfortably again.

"I mean, I wouldn't shag you around 'that time of the month', but it's nothing to get on about. It's like I've always said, we all have our Mr. Hyde. Yours just needs to hide a bit more than the rest of ours do."

"Haha, very funny Sirius. And what are you going to do after we get out of here, hm? Become a comedian?"

"Do you think I could?" Sirius asked, half-serious, raising himself onto one elbow to look at his friend again.

"I think you can do anything, you know that Sirius."

"Right, well, it's commonly been said that advice from the guy who's fucking you is not necessarily sound advice."

"Mhm, is that so?" Remus reached down and ran a hand roughly through Sirius' gorgeous black curls.

"They also say never trust a werewolf, so you're down on both counts," Sirius continued.

"Clearly I'm not a solid friend for you at all then," Remus's voice was now silky and filled with desire. Sirius normally thought Remus' voice was very nasal and bland in day to day interactions. But when he was alone, when he was his better half, his stronger half, his voice could send shivers down Sirius' spine.

"Nope. Not one bit solid. Hollow as Hell in fact," Sirius joked, letting his elbow fall out from under him so he was sprawled on the grass again.

Remus took Sirius' hand and brought it up to his mouth. He grinned evilly and then licked it.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Sirius cried, pulling his hand away. "And very mature I might add."

"You are a dog, my friend," Remus managed to get out between laughs.

"Not at the moment!" Sirius insisted in mock disgust. "You disgust me, you know? You're a great prat. I shouldn't even be here. There's a sorry looking little fifth year who wants me to meet her at the top of the north tower at midnight, I think I better go get ready…"

"Not so fast," Remus reached out and grabbed Sirius' hand again, this time with a completely different energy.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder at Remus, his heart pounding in his chest. He could leave, he knew he could, but he could not find a single fiber within him that wanted to.

"Take off your clothes," Remus ordered with that voice. Oh, that voice. Sirius shuddered.

"I'm going to regret this," Sirius muttered, stripping off his sweater and his button-down to reveal his pale, hairless chest, already damp with perspiration from the hot sunlight.

"You've said that every time," Remus murmured, taking off all his clothes slowly, piece by piece.

"And I've regretted every time," Sirius said roughly, racing to Remus's side, grabbing his friend by the hair savagely.

"You think I don't see the looks James gives us?" Sirius demanded, kissing Remus on the mouth hard, then biting his lip as he withdrew.

"See Pettigrew, dim-witted as ever, not have a clue, and stammer after me, 'hey, where are you guys going?'"

This time Remus assaulted Sirius before he could kiss him again, pushing him to the ground, pinning him down.

"Or best yet," Sirius continued breathlessly with Remus on top of him, undoing his pants and pushing them far down his legs, "Or best yet my own conscience late at night..."

"You're a liar," Remus said contemptuously, dragging Sirius' pants all the way off and laying back down on top of him, naked bodies touching. "You want me all the time, I can see it."

"So what if I do? Can't I also regret wanting you?" He demanded, reaching up to caress Remus' cheek. "I don't want to be like this. I don't want to have someone that I can't live without."

"You're never going to have to live without me," Remus said, startled by the abrupt change of pace.

Sirius' laugh was brittle, "This battle that James keeps talking about. It's never gonna stop. You think I can stand aside while my best friend fights?"

"I don't expect you to. I'll be right by your side," Remus comforted him, stroking his face.

"Oh Remus, it's time to grow up! We have to grow up, get married, get on with our lives. This is school business. School's over, this'll be the last time."

Remus froze and pushed himself off Sirius and sat for a moment, stunned.

"If that's what this is to you, then I guess…I guess I'll be on my way," he struggled to his feet, grabbed up his clothes and took two steps before Sirius grabbed him.

"Don't," Sirius whispered, and then his mouth was on Remus', forcing his lips open, plunging his tongue into the glorious silkiness.

Remus felt his body responding against his will and he groaned, tossing his hastily gathered clothes to the ground, and grabbed Sirius' butt and pulled it up against his quickly hardening cock.

"Remus," Sirius breathed, pulling away, gasping for air. Remus stroked down Sirius' hard, lean shoulders to the flat planes of his chest and stomach. When he reached the trail of hair below his belly button, he paused and grinned.

"I believe it's your turn," Sirius said as coldly as he could manage. His heart couldn't be in this, it couldn't, it couldn't, he repeated as he felt Remus kneeling down in front of him. As Remus took him in his mouth his eyes fluttered shut, and within moments he found himself gasping for breath. This was embarrassing, his lack of control, he had waited too long, held out too long, he had waited days and days, aching for Remus and had held out. Remus' tongue was merciless, running figure-eights as his fingers kneaded his balls. As soon as Remus began to suck Sirius felt his control start to slip and he cried out as he came, Remus unmoving, sucking and swallowing until Sirius dropped to his own knees in blissful exhaustion.

"I can't, I can't give this up," Sirius murmured, hiding his face in his hands. Remus grabbed Sirius' penis with one hand, and yanked at the hands covering his face with his hands. Sirius whimpered at the contact so soon after, but Remus tightened his grip.

"Say that again, and mean it," he growled low.

"I can't give this up," Sirius said again, shaking his head sadly, and pulled Remus down to him and began kissing him again, this time tenderly, trying to put a love into a kiss that he would never put into words. Remus kissed him back as best he could as he felt a lump in his throat growing. This would be the last time; there was no doubt in his mind. Hastily, he motioned for Sirius to turn over before he could see the tears about to come to his eyes. He lay down on top of his friend's back, caressing down his sides and back up again.

"Would you like some help getting started?" Sirius offered jovially, craning his neck to look at him. Lupin hastily moved aside, tucking his head out of Sirius' sight. He felt his desire mounting as he grabbed Sirius' ass roughly, fingering the hole and inserting his finger. Sirius groaned as Remus twisted his finger.

"Oh come on now," Sirius ordered as Remus inserted a second finger. And then the fingers were replaced by what he wanted and he immediately bucked his hips up towards it, choking on his air at the overwhelming sensation that still hadn't gotten old.

Remus grinned and shoved Sirius back down flat onto the ground and grinded hard against him. Sirius again struggled, pushing upwards, yearning for dominance even still.

Remus laughed and began to thrust in earnest, reveling in the tightness surrounding him, quivering around him in protest while Sirius moaned beneath him.

"Don't even…think…about…leaving….me…." Remus gasped on each stroke as he felt himself getting closer and closer.

"I'm fucking…leaving…you…" Sirius choked out in response.

"Don't…you…DARE," he roared and his eyes rolled back as he shuddered with orgasm, spasm after spasm. Sirius felt his smile widen with each as his body rocked with his friend's pleasure. Nothing could be like this, nothing, he thought.

Remus pushed himself off Sirius and collapsed in the grass, struggling for breath. Sirius turned to face him and grinned. After a few minutes of companionable silence they got up and got dressed.

They stood facing the lake.

"So this is the end of Hogwarts then," Sirius said cheerfully, taking his friend's hand.

"And this is the end of that," Remus said, nodding at their joined hands.

"You're serious?" Sirius asked, disbelieving.

Remus nodded, "You're right. This is school boys stuff. It's time to grow up." And he dropped Sirius' hand.

"Remus, I…"

"Don't," Remus held up a hand to stop him, "Don't say it," he said more gently, touching his fingers to Sirius' lips."

"I love you," Sirius said anyway. Remus blinked and shook his head as if to clear it.

"I never thought I'd hear _you_ say something like that," Remus said with a bright grin.

"Yeah well, it's the end of things. That's how it's supposed to go right?"

"Yes, that's how it's supposed to go," Remus said, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Goodbye old chap," Sirius said, with tears in his eyes.

"You're not coming on the train?" Remus asked, a panicky feeling building in his chest.

"Nah, I'm flying home. Already sent most of my stuff on anyway, you know?"

Remus nodded slowly, looking out over the glassy lake.

"Goodbye old friend," Sirius repeated, wrapping his arms around Remus. Remus hugged him back, pressing his cheek against his neck, inhaling the scent of him. Too quickly Sirius patted him on the back and stepped away.

"I'll go back up to the castle first, yeah?" Sirius waved a hand in farewell and the turned and started back on the long and windy path back to their home for the next 24 hours.


	3. Chapter 3: LilyJames

Lily looked up at James as they stood looking across the lake, looking back up at Hogwarts, their home for the past seven years. He glanced down at her.

"You know we have the rest of our lives together Lil. It's not as if we're saying goodbye to each other."

"I know. Still. This is where we grew up. This is where we met. This is where we fell in love," she said, shrugging. "It bears a moment of reflection."

James nodded perfunctorily, "Right, well. Moments over, let's see what Sirius and Lupin are up to." He tugged on her hand and tried to lead her back to the path that would lead them back around the lake.

"I'm serious James!"

"What? What are we doing here?" He asked laughingly, tucking a strand of her auburn hair back behind her ear.

"Well…I thought we could…for posterity's sake…do it here one more time?"

"Good God woman, I'm marrying you! Once we leave here we can do it in a bed finally and you're saying you're going to miss doing it in the wet grass praying somebody doesn't decide to take a very long walk and catch us."

She pouted and whined, "Please. I don't know why you're refusing me. How could anyone refuse a good little school girl like me? I've been awfully good," she teased, holding her skirt out at her sides, then teasingly raised it a few inches.

"No. I'm being firm on this. You yourself said you wanted to wait from now until the wedding. As a penance maybe for all the times we've shagged up here, I don't know. But I know you're impossible when you don't get what you want, so I'm putting my foot down."

She smiled and sat down.

"Since when did you decide to become the perfect gentleman?"

"Since you decided you wanted me to be," he said, laying down and putting his head in her lap. She smiled and began stroking his beautiful black locks away from his forehead.

"That's very pretty, James," she said suspiciously.

"I know, and I just came up with it on the spot," he said proudly.

She patted him on the chest, "Foolish and arrogant as always."

"And would you love me if I weren't?" He asked jokingly, but then his face fell and his eyes seriously questioned hers and she took a moment to think.

"No, I don't think I would love you any other way than exactly the way you are. Of course my parents think I'm making an awful mistake marrying so young. But I assured them we're not going to have children until the world is a safe place again. Until we help the world become a safe place again."

"I've felt so helpless here while he's gaining followers by the day."

"We made the right decision James," she whispered, still massaging his head.

"But what if we didn't?" He sat up and faced her, his face earnest and passionate as always when he talked about the evil and corruption surrounding them, closing in on them. "What if we could have saved even one life by leaving school and joining the Order now, instead of waiting till after graduation?"

"Dumbledore told us what he wanted us to do. He told us to stay in school. I know you never listen to anyone James, but he of all people you should."

"He's too old. He doesn't have the stomach to fight anymore. I know he still thinks there's some part of Tom Riddle that can be saved."

"I don't think he thinks that," Lily disagreed gently, reaching up to stroke his face and ease him back down onto her lap.

"You haven't talked to him the way I have. You've always been closer to Slughorn. I know what he thinks and how he thinks. He's not a fighter, he's a talker, and he loves peace more than anything."

"James you're talking like a Death Eater. We don't _want_ to fight, we _have_ to fight."

"Exactly, we _have_ to fight. And I think all Dumbledore would have us do is strategize until our faces are blue and Voldemort-

"Shut up!" Lily clamped her hand over his mouth. He tore her hand away.

"And Voldemort comes banging down head quarter's door!"

Lily sat back in silence and stared out over the lake again.

"Those are terrible things to say, James. I'm going to pretend you don't mean them."

"And you would just rather get pregnant right now, go back to your Muggle family and raise a baby in a comfortable country life."

"How dare you say these things to me?" She demanded furiously, rising to her feet and towering over him.

"You would rather just marry some Muggle, pretend you never were a witch, and forget all about Voldemort!"

Lily smacked him across the face so hard he toppled backwards onto his elbows, and stared up at her in horror.

"I'm sorry Lil. I'm so sorry."

She felt tears coming and frantically tightened her mouth against its shaking and blinked her eyes furiously.

"I don't know what comes over me Lil. I just get so angry I don't know what to do with myself. You have to forgive me, for the hundredth time, forgive me."

Lily's tears overflowed and she covered her face in her hands and let out a muffled cry. James got to his feet and reached out to hold her. The minute his hands touched her shoulders she shrugged away. He tried again and this time she let his hands stay, and pull her close, and then she was holding onto him for dear life.

"I promise, I will learn to control my temper. It's this wretched place, I feel so trapped now."

"I know," she whispered into his chest.

"Will you forgive me?"

She stepped away and brushed her eyes dry.

"Of course I will," she struggled to smile. "I love you, and you are truly the best man I've ever known."

"I disagree with you there," he corrected, patting her on the arm awkwardly, not wanting for a moment to lose physical contact with her.

"Maybe not now," she amended with a rueful smile, "but you will be."


End file.
